The Danube Civil Society Forum (DCSF) is foreseen in the Action Plan of the EU Commission for the EU Strategy for the Danube Region in 4th pillar „Strengthening the Danube Region“ as the platform for Civil Society cooperation, opinion and capacity building, as well as networking the Danube Region.

DCSF 1st GAThe DCSF was founded on 1 July 2011 at the first general conference with more than 100 participants from 14 Danube countries, national, regional, and international NGOs, representatives from churches, minorities, academia, as and as well as representatives from the EU Parliament, the EU Commission, the EU Presidency (Hungary) and other EU institutions.

While the DCSF acted in close cooperation and in consensus with the responsible EU institutions, the Danube Civil Society Forum is a self-organized and independent NGO structure.

The Danube Civil Society Forum is the platform for civil society dialogue and networking in the Danube basin under the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). It functions as the interface for structured consultations between civil society and public and private authorities on the regional, national and EU level as well as to international and intergovernmental organisations active in the region.

The Danube Civil Society Forum is dedicated to support civil society organisations in the Danube basin. It aims to promote and enhance civil society participation and networking in the framework of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region.

The Forum is registered under the Austrian law. It has 112 members; 74 regular members and 38 observers as of 1st August 2011.